All non-essential travel to West Maui is strongly discouraged in the wake of the fires, and West Maui hotels have temporarily stopped accepting future reservations, according to the latest update from the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).
Addressing a community concern about ensuring the economic well-being of Maui and the state, Governor Josh Green emphasized the importance of travel during the press conference.
“As we have seen during the pandemic, the decisions we have made can affect everyone across the islands. So what we’re saying now is that travel shouldn’t be in West Maui. But other areas of Maui are safe,” Governor Green said. “And the rest of the state, of course, is also safe.”
“I will make a much larger announcement and have a larger discussion about this on Friday in a statewide speech. But we want people to come to the state as long as they won’t affect the hard work of the disaster recovery support staff,” the governor said. In agreement with Governor Green, the Hawai’i Tourism Authority urges visitors to refrain from traveling to West Maui (including Lāhainā, Nāpili, Kāʻanapali and Kapalua) out of respect for the people and places that have been lost to Lāhainā during this devastating time.
“We encourage travelers to consider visiting other areas of Maui (including Kahului, Wailuku, Kīhei, Wailea, Mākena, Pāʻia, and Hāna), or other islands such as Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island. »
The Canadian government has also issued a non-essential travel advisory for Maui.
For the latest information on Maui’s emergency management and restoration, and how you can kōkua (help) the people of Maui, visit mauistrong.hawaii.gov